Flash Fanfiction - Episode 37 - Kryptonite
by Reign Atkins
Summary: The radiation quarantine has been removed from Smallville... Our group is returning for one person in particular... Clark Kent! Thanks to the effects of the radiation cloud, Clark is all grown up and has a weakness for kryptonite! TRIGGER WARNING: Major character dies & another major character leaves...
1. Chapter 1

**_While I did have plans to stop writing my fanfictions, I have recently had a change of heart by noticing some very interesting similarities between the show (The Flash) and my fanfictions. Such as Ragdoll (that episode even had a dance like mine did- d_** _ **espite the alternate dance partners Caitlin/Iris.)**_

 _ **The fact that the group now has a telepathic member who is also empathic and can pick up on people's emotions (remember my Gotham's gladiators story where Astrid felt the emotions of the entire city?**_

 _ **The part where Cisco breaks up with Astrid (Gypsy in the show) because he wanted to commit and she wasn't ready to. and now Barry and Cisco will be meeting Batwoman (as opposed to Batman).**_

 _ **The episode where Caitlin goes up against her father and finds that he has been trapped with Icicle using his body kind of like my older Smallville episode where Astrid went up against her father who had been taken over by an alien and Cisco was the only one who could figure it out.**_

 _ **I am not saying that they are getting the ideas from my fanfictions but if they are... and they are reading this... Please give me a shout out on the show, it would be so cool! Damn, I am such a nerd... Anyway, on with the story!**_

 _ **Chapter 1 - Episode 37 - Kryptonite!**_

"Eventually we are going to start running out of second chances… I am beginning to lose count how many times one of us dies in alternate timelines…" Caitlin said as she approached Cisco with her tablet. Cisco was currently swinging on his chair at his desk and staring at the screen of his computer with a lollypop in his mouth.

"I think I have died... hmm... twice now? Three times if you count my death that hasn't happened yet... I always said that STAR Labs would be the death of me!" Cisco replied, removing the lollypop. "Hey, Cait? Did you ever see that movie with Adam Sandler? You know the one where he had that remote control that could reset his entire life? Maybe that is what we are dealing with here... If that's the case, I'm just expecting the batteries to go flat… wait… that gives me an idea!"

Cisco jumped from his chair and began rummaging around at his workstation looking for gadgets that might help with his wishful project. He sighed and picked up his phone to show Caitlin. "I don't have a remote control handy… But I have a phone… that could work!"

Caitlin raised her eyebrows and shook her head softly. "Sure thing, Cisco. Maybe we could…"

Before she could finish her sentence, they were interrupted by Astrid and DR Wells who entered the cortex abruptly.

DR Wells found the remote control that Cisco had been looking for by the television and switched on the screen, while Astrid called for Cisco and Caitlin's attention.

The reporter's voice broke out loudly into the cortex. "…In breaking news, the quarantine on Smallville has been lifted revealing astonishing results. It seems that many of the town's residents have aged from the effects of the radiation…"

The group's eyes grew wide and Astrid addressed Caitlin. "Get your friend Pamela on the phone, Caitlin! We owe it to Kara to speak with her cousin!"

Caitlin nodded and left quickly to do as she had been instructed, just in time for Barry to enter the cortex. "Did you see the…" he stammered.

"We did, Barry. We're heading there soon!" Astrid replied.

Cisco's eyes grew wide as he remembered the events from the alternate timeline. "But that boy… Didn't we instruct him to kill Barry? He's a Kryptonian! He's dangerous!" he stammered.

Astrid and Barry both nodded. But Astrid addressed Cisco's concern. "That's why we are reaching out to him now. Maybe we can bring him into our fold. You know mentor him or something."

"Sutherland, Allen, Ramon?" DR Wells called out still focusing on the television.

The group looked up at the screen to see a bald-headed man, dressed in a suit making a speech on the television. "…Before my father died, he left me in charge of the business… of Lexcorp. And now that Smallville is no longer living in a bubble, I will endeavor to carry out my father's plans…"

"MR Luthor," the reporter replied. "What are those plans?"

The stare that the man gave the camera was enough to send shivers down anybody's spine. But his words were all the more chilling. "Before my father died, he was hunting for extra-terrestrials and humans that had been altered by the meteor. I will bring them all in because they are nothing more than a threat to our earth… They must be eliminated."

Caitlin had just joined the group who had become slightly intimidated and had seen the entire speech. Cisco placed his hand on Astrid's shoulder comfortingly. Barry spoke up. "Let's go back to Smallville, shall we?"

The rest of them nodded and then Caitlin spoke up. "I couldn't get in contact with Pamela… She's MIA."


	2. Chapter 2

Astrid knocked on the door to the Kent family farm and stepped backward alongside Caitlin, while Barry and Cisco surveyed the area.

"This would be a great place to raise a family, don't you think?" Cisco asked Barry.

"A family, Cisco?"

Cisco shrugged and nodded. "Well, that normally follows after two people get married… Besides, we already met our kid… not that we can really remember it exactly."

Barry shook his head. "A farm would be a good place… Hey, look over there." He pointed Cisco over to a dark-haired man who was working on a red pickup truck, as Martha Kent invited them into her house.

Martha had just finished embracing both Caitlin and Astrid in tight hugs.

"If you don't mind, Cisco and I will look around for a bit," Barry said.

Martha offered them a warm smile and agreed to their request while inviting Caitlin and Astrid into the house.

"So, what were you trying to show me, Barry?" Cisco asked as Barry took off at a fast pace, without using his powers.

Cisco looked to where Barry was walking and saw a man roughly in his teens, bent over the front of his truck working.

"I thought I heard someone arrive," the young man said. He had black hair with a short wave. Large blue eyes, a chiseled jaw and he was wearing a red and black checkered shirt. He approached Barry and Cisco and held out his hand.

"Hi, I'm Clark. Clark Kent."

Both Cisco and Barry were slightly taken back by the man, after remembering him from the timeline that had involved the lords of chaos.

Barry further remembered his encounter with Kara and was reminded that Kryptonians were very dangerous. Nonetheless, he shook Clark's hand. "I'm Barry. Barry Allen! And this is my friend Cisco."

Cisco studied the man, cautiously. This man had never harmed him, but he could certainly be very dangerous. Regardless, he held out his hand and shook Clark's.

"So what brings you two city men to Smallville?" Clark asked them.

"How do you know we are…" Barry began.

Clark shuffled on his feet clumsily. "Er… your clothes! Your clothes do. They don't exactly scream Smallville."

Barry looked down at his preppy clothes and Cisco's DR Who shirt and shrugged. "You, actually…" Barry began, but before he could continue, he heard Astrid's words in his mind. She was communicating with him from inside the house.

'Barry, don't scare the poor boy… Be subtle.'

"Be subtle…" he repeated softly under his breath.

"Be subtle?" Clark said, clearly having heard him.

"Let me take this one," Cisco said casually, as he attempted to place a hand on Clark's shoulder. Unfortunately for Cisco, Clark had height over him, so Cisco tapped him on the back instead. "Barry is a little… he isn't one for first impressions. You see, my fiancé and I are thinking over the prospect of possibly moving to the country after we get married… she's in there speaking to your mother now."

Clark let slip a slight smile and nodded. "You want to move to a small town that just had a quarantined removed?" he was very much in doubt.

Cisco was baffled. "Heh, heh… Barry?"

Before Barry could continue, Clark raised his head, staring over their shoulders. Someone was clearly approaching them and had brought out a smile from Clark's lips.

"Hey Lana," Clark stammered, forcing Barry and Cisco both to turn around to see the dark haired woman who had just approached them.

"Hey Clark, who's your friends?" the woman known as Lana asked him.

"They are… They're from out of town. They're thinking of moving to Smallville," Clark said in a matter of fact manner of speaking.

"They are, are they?" Lana questioned, she seemed to be as doubtful as Clark was. Nonetheless, she continued speaking. "A bunch of us are thinking of heading out of town later tonight now that the quarantine has been removed… Do you want to come?"

Clark looked stunned that the woman was asking him. Barry smirked at the man's inability to find the right words to speak, while Cisco decided to take over the conversation.

"Clark would love to go with you later…" it was his attempt to dismiss the young woman.

Lana smiled politely at Cisco and then back at Clark. "Okay, I'll see you at seven," she said as she turned away and left the farm.

Clark slumped down against the front of the truck. "Thank you for that… every time I speak to her… I kind of just… I freeze up."

"Yeah, Cisco and I both know that feeling!" Barry replied as he leaned up beside the young man. "It's almost as if you are from separate planets, am I right?"

Clark's eyes raised wide. "No, I wouldn't say planets… that's a little… it sounds a little extreme."

"Hey, it's okay… you can trust us," Barry said.

"Barry!" Cisco said begrudgingly. "That's not very subtle."

"Cisco, we need him to trust us. Astrid is always saying that trust needs to be earned… Clark, we know your secret." Barry replied as he turned to look at a very nervous Clark.

"I don't know what you're talking about!"

"I know that you have powers… We do too," Barry replied. "Watch!"

Barry demonstrated himself running across the town of Smallville and back again, only to find that Clark had used his own speed power to disappear.

"Where did he go?" Barry asked Cisco.

Cisco shook his head and smiled. "You scared him away, Barry… Now we have to find him."

"What? How did I scare him away?"

"Let's go, man. Let's go!"


	3. Chapter 3

"You lost him, Barry?" Caitlin asked once Barry and Cisco subtly told Caitlin and Astrid the news while Martha slipped out to make some fresh tea.

Astrid shook her head. "No, you didn't lose him… He's looking over some bridge and contemplating what you told him."

"Wow, you just read his thoughts like that?" Barry asked, "You really didn't have to channel your powers or anything."

Astrid smiled. "No, I didn't. Because we're in the country. There's a lot less people which makes things a whole lot easier. The mind channel isn't so chaotic when scanning."

Cisco smiled at her. "It's a big difference from the city, huh? Less commotion, less traffic… less mental chaos. You actually look relaxed."

Astrid stared up at the smiling Cisco. "Yeah, what's your point?" she wondered.

"Oh no, point… I just think that the country would be a great place to raise a child. Especially if we were to be dealing with a telepath."

Astrid studied Cisco cautiously, thinking over what he had just said. "We're not leaving Central City, Cisco. We're not even married yet… We haven't even talked about having kids… God! Can we just get back to the matter at hand? I have to focus! I need to reason with Clark!" She stepped away from her friends leaving Cisco feeling uncomfortable by what she had just told him. He shrugged his shoulders, but he was not done by a long shot.

After a few moments, Astrid and Martha had both returned.

"Would you all like some more tea?" Mrs Kent asked.

"I would love to Martha, but I just spoke with Clark. He is ready for us to speak with him now." Astrid said.

"I'd like some tea!" Cisco said, brushing off his friends. "I could really use some downtime."

"Well, while you stay here, Cisco… Astrid, Caitlin and I will go and speak with Clark." Barry said.

Cisco nodded and sent a look in Astrid's direction.

"Would you mind telling him that he has chores to do this afternoon?" Martha asked.

Caitlin nodded. "Of course, we can. We will see you soon, Mrs Kent."

"Likewise."

While Cisco followed Martha to the kitchen, Barry took the others to meet with Clark on the bridge.

"What was with you and Cisco?" Caitlin asked once they were out of earshot.

Astrid shrugged. "I don't know where any of that even came from. How could he even think about leaving Central City? We have a…"

She was cut off by Barry raising his hand and looking over at Clark who was waiting for them by edge of the bridge.

"Clark, I apologize for scaring you earlier." Barry said, "can we talk?"

Clark nodded and took a step forward. "I should apologize for leaving earlier when I did. I've met many people who were affected by the meteor and it hasn't always turned out so well. My friend has even been recording them on this wall at school. She calls it the 'wall of weird.' But you… you seem so confident. Almost like you have your powers under control or something."

Barry nodded. "Yeah, it's because we kind of do. You see, during the time that Smallville has been quarantined… since you have all been ageing…"

"We haven't all been ageing… That's how we found out that Lionel Luthor was behind it… But we could never get enough proof to expose him."

Astrid, Barry, and Caitlin nodded. They were not surprised by tha.t

"Like I was saying," Barry continued. "We have had the time to practice with our powers. We were here once… We uncovered the truths about Smallville, about the meteor shower… and about you. We know that you were brought here to earth, and we know that the rock that came with you caused us to change."

"We also met your cousin!" Caitlin declared.

Clark looked at them with a mixture of amazement and shock. "How…how is that even possible? I thought…"

Astrid nodded and wiped away a few tears. "It's true, Clark. I read her mind myself. She allowed me to… Just as you allowed me to earlier. You trust me. You see I met your mother before when we came to Smallville. I also… I lost somebody… In fact, thanks to this meteor shower, we have all lost somebody. But we have gained so much more. Kara… she gained a family."

Barry nodded. "and she gained us as allies too… we helped her out of this situation where there were people exploiting metahumans for their own sadistic measures."

Astrid gave Barry a look, asking that he not proceed with that conversation. So he listened.

Clark pressed his body against the railing of the bridge. "this is unbelievable! I thought I was alone! Can you… Can you take me to see her?"

Caitlin smiled, "of course, we can, Clark. But we also want to reach out to you. We want to help you…"

"Well, well, well…" the abrupt voice of a man interfering in their conversation made them all stop. A bald-headed man, the same from the news report earlier had approached them. "Clark, fancy seeing you here… At the site of our accident for the fifth time this week."

Clark grew silent and Barry, Astrid and Caitlin stood beside him, facing the man known as Lex Luthor. Astrid remembered him as Lionel's son, only so much older. One year in Smallville certainly had done wonders on its people.

She didn't trust him. In fact, she trusted him even less than she had his father. She focused on his mind where she hit a wall. She tried to push past that wall which only ended in her suffering from a serious headache.

She tried to conceal her sudden migraine. Whatever this man was armed with was strong. Not only could she not read his mind, but to even try to do so, caused her an unbelievable amount of pain.

"Astrid Sutherland…" Lex said stepping toward her with an outstretched hand. "You're more beautiful than I imagined. My father spoke highly of you and MR Oliver Queen.

Astrid glanced at Barry and Caitlin, wondering what Lionel might have said about her. She needed to play ball, even though she didn't trust him. She shook his hand and said "likewise."

"Oh, I highly doubt that… you see, I was nothing more than a scourge to my father. His final words before he died was that I was the biggest disappointment in his life… I guess that's something that we have in common."

"What is?" she asked him sternly.

"Oh, that our fathers are both dead… They both died to the effects of the meteor." As Lex spoke he glanced over at Clark and then back at Astrid.

"How did your father die, exactly?" Barry asked him.

Lex turned to face Barry. "Suicide… He jumped from the top of Luthorcorp… His mission drove him to madness. You know what they say about genius and madness being opposite sides of the same coin."

The group grew silent. This man was more intimidating than any foe they had ever faced in the past. What made him all the more eerie is that they couldn't work out his agenda. Not to mention, Astrid's inability to read his mind.

Nonetheless, Lex looked back at Clark. Lex was roughly a few years older than the boy but the power, expensive suits and the ego made the age gap seem so much larger.

"I do believe that Lana invited you out with us tonight, Clark… I hope to see you there."

Clark nodded, meekly at the man. Lex gave a final smile and a nod to the rest of them and left in the black limousine that he had climbed out of.

Astrid, Clark, Barry and Caitlin let loose a sigh of relief that he was gone.

"Did anyone else get that vibe about that guy?" Barry wondered.

Astrid nodded. "Clark, you cannot trust him! Lionel was into some pretty heavy things when we came here last time."

Clark looked at them. "What are you talking about? I know Lex. He might come off as a bit of a jerk. But it's just his way."

"You don't understand…" Astrid stammered. "I couldn't read his mind… There was just something off about him."

"You tried to read his mind?" Clark asked. "You can't just do that to people… I don't know if you're aware of this… but that is an invasion of privacy!"

Without giving them the chance to explain, Clark was gone again.


	4. Chapter 4

While Barry volunteered to search for Clark yet again, Caitlin and Astrid decided to stop in at the local coffee shop for a coffee.

"Why would they call a café The Talon?" Caitlin wondered out loud as they sat at their table waiting for the waitress.

Astrid shook her head. "No idea!" she focused her attention on to the Egyptian artifacts. "But I love the decorations though. They remind me of Kent." She was referring to DR Fate's symbol of magic. She had not heard from him in a while, so it softened her heart a little.

"Thanks, I picked the decorations myself," a young woman with long dark hair said. "My name is Lana, what can I get you both?"

"An instruction manual on men?" Astrid suggested, referring to her earlier conversation with Cisco.

"I'm sorry, we don't serve them here…" Lana smiled. "But if you find one, can you let me know where you got it from so I can buy one, too?"

Astrid and Caitlin both laughed. "I like you, Lana," Astrid said. "Just a coffee and a bagel for me."

"I'll have the same, thank you." Caitlin replied.

Lana nodded and left to retrieve their orders, so Caitlin continued speaking. "Cisco has been acting a little strange lately. I should mention that I saw him looking at houses on the net this morning… They were located outside of Central City."

Astrid shook her head. "How can he think that we can just pack up and leave once we get married? Our entire lives are in Central City… You, Barry, and STAR Labs. We can't just turn our backs on everything that we have worked so hard to build."

Caitlin shook her head. "I think he is focusing on the events that older Barry came back to show us… He wanted to make a remote control that had could control time this morning. It looks like its hitting him hard." Caitlin stared down at her hands and Astrid instantly picked up on her friend's emotions.

"Is everything okay, Cait?" she asked.

Caitlin shook her head and looked away. "I'm fine, Astrid."

"You're lying, Cait. What's up?"

Caitlin sighed and studied her friend. "In that future world, I think I know why Barry and I break up… Why he marries Iris."

Astrid remained silent but waited for her friend to go on.

"A few weeks ago, I ran a test on mine and Barry's DNA cells and I came up with some interesting results… You see, my cells continued to neutralize Barry's DNA cells. Those results point to a few theories, all of which indicate that Barry and I might never be able to have children."

"What are you going to do? Have you told Barry?"

Caitlin shook her head. "No, I haven't. I don't know how to tell him… Or if I should tell him. He really wants kids."

"You need to tell him, Cait. He deserves to know… But you want kids too. You have always wanted kids. Maybe you should come up with some kind of treatment… Something that will work in your favor."

"Astrid, it isn't that simple. If I were to carry a speedster baby in my body, Frost's DNA would automatically freeze the child. It would become a stillborn or my body could reject the pregnancy altogether. The only way would be…"

"…to remove Frost from your body." Astrid finished her friend's sentence softly.

The voice of the waitress Lana returning startled them both. "I'm sorry to interrupt. This probably isn't even my place. But you could always adopt. I was adopted by aunt Nell and a boy I know was adopted by the Kents. Adoption is a brilliant alternative if you really want children."

Caitlin let slip a humble smile and retrieved her coffee and bagel from the waitress. "Thank you. I'll keep that in mind."

"So, you're a friend of Clark's." Astrid said.

"Clark Kent? I like to believe I am. Why do you ask?" Lana wondered.

"Well, we're actually friends of his mothers."

"Oh, I might have met two men earlier when I was inviting Clark out later. One with long dark hair, another very tall with brown hair?"

"Cisco and Barry. So, what is this big event that is supposed to be happening tonight?" Astrid probed.

"A bunch of us want to check out the nearby caves. Someone said they found some old chunks of the meteor rock and some sort of tech… some of the locals believe that it might have been aliens."

"And you don't believe that?" Caitlin wondered.

Lana looked around the café where she saw a blonde woman standing with a young dark-skinned man by the counter. "I like to believe that I am somewhat of a skeptic. I should go… Maybe I'll see you both later at the caves or something?"

Astrid and Caitlin smiled at the young woman. "We'd love to," Caitlin replied.

#

Barry, Astrid, Caitlin and Cisco made their way to the underground caves that they had encountered when they had first travelled to Smallville months ago in silence. They reached the opening of the cave with their phones in hands, illuminating the darkness.

Cisco glanced around at the rocky walls and said "please don't be any clowns down here…"

"Cisco," Barry said, "after last time, I think we would be more inclined to find aliens down here as opposed to clowns."

"You do know that…"

"You guys! Shh!" Astrid interrupted. "Do you hear that?"

"Astrid, we don't hear anything," Caitlin said as she, Barry and Cisco tried to listen for noises.

Astrid focused her senses. She could certainly hear something. But then she realized that they were thoughts. "Oh no! You guys… We got daemonite aliens down again! Switch on your neuro blockers guys. They don't know we're here yet."

Cisco shook his head in frustration but did so nonetheless. "…and here I was hoping for a regular field trip… to the museum, or even KORD industries would have been nice!" he whispered.

"KORD industries, Cisco? Ted is our competition. Why would you even say that?" Caitlin whispered back.

Before he could respond, Barry cut in with. "you guys… I'm going to go on up ahead… Astrid let me know if you can hear Clark's thoughts." Astrid offered him a nod and Barry was gone right before their eyes.

Suddenly, Barry's link when dead.

"Barry!" Caitlin said, "Barry! Answer us!"

"Uh oh! Not good!" Cisco said.

Astrid tried to get a reading on Barry's mental activity, but she had no luck. Instead, she suffered from a serious sudden headache which she started to breathe it through. "That was painful! Someone's trying to get into my…"

Instantly, she collapsed to her feet in agony doing her best to maintain a scream.

"Astrid! Astrid!" Cisco cried out falling to her aid. He brought his hands to her ears as he saw blood emerge from her earlobes. "Caitlin? What do we do?"

Caitlin was confused. They needed to get Astrid out of the cave immediately, but at the same time they couldn't give up on Barry.

Astrid could barely speak as she was groaning through the pain.

"Caitlin! What do we do!" Cisco cried again in a state of panic.

Caitlin got into action. "Cisco, we need to get her out of here, now!"

Suddenly, Astrid stood to her feet and wiped away the blood from her ears. She was no longer suffering from the intense pain. In fact, her entire mannerism had changed. "It's fine guys… let's go! WE need to find Barry."

There was something off about her persona that shook Cisco and Caitlin entirely. Something was not right about her. Nonetheless, Cisco and Caitlin followed her regardless.


	5. Chapter 5

The further that they travelled into the cave the closer they got to the sound of the latest songs playing along with the sound of voices.

"It sounds like a party," Caitlin suggested as they continued to follow the dark rocky tunnel into the heart of the cave.

"Great, so we're going to be those old people who shut down a raver!" Cisco sighed. "I hate those people… Wait… not much has changed for me since high school!"

Caitlin offered him a warm smile, but Astrid took off past them, still in her dazed state. "Is it just me or does my fiancé seem to be acting less like her leaderette self and more like a drone?"

Astrid disappeared in front of them and Caitlin looked back at Cisco. "Thank god I'm not the only one who has noticed. First Barry disappears, now Astrid… Didn't she say something about the daemonites? This can't be good."

"I take back what I said earlier… I don't want to move to a small town filled with aliens… I've seen Roswell far too many times!"

They followed Astrid into the center of the cave where they were filled with at least fifty teenagers partying to loud music and drinking.

"Damn, Caitlin… the music here sucks!" Cisco cried out. "The DJ could at least play something a little funkier… Did you ever hear that song about a monkey who wore glasses?"

Caitlin's attention had been diverted across the room. She had found Barry speaking with Clark. "Hey, there's Clark and Barry!" she ran toward them, with Cisco close at hand.

"Caitlin, Cisco!" Barry said pleased to see them. He nodded his head toward Clark, clearly gesturing that he had gone silent for that reason exactly. "Where's Astrid?"

The four of them scanned the room where in fact they saw Astrid leaving quickly down a dark tunnel with none other than Lex Luthor.

"What the hell!" Cisco attempted to storm off in their direction but Caitlin held him back "That evil son of a… That guy is bad news! We all know he is going to be the villain of this story! And she is acting all zombie-like… She is walking into a trap."

"Zombie like?" Barry asked.

"Hold on!" Clark said, raising his hand. "Something that she said earlier today about Lex… I've been listening out… Something is seriously wrong here. I'm sorry that I didn't believe you guys earlier."

"So what do we do?" Caitlin wondered.

"You guys… wait here, I'm going after them," Barry decided.

"No, don't!" Clark told him. He seemed to be listening very carefully to something over the music. "I can barely make out what is being said between them."

The others stared at him awkwardly. "You can hear them through thick rock?" Barry asked him.

"You would be surprised about what I can hear," Clark replied. "I have this…"

"Woah man," Cisco spoke up. "Don't keep us all in suspense… what are they saying? Is she alright?"

Clark went back to listening into the conversation that was being had through the thick rock. It seemed to be getting further away, but the things he did hear had him concerned.

Barry registered the look on Clark's face and in an instant, he had disappeared in a bid to search for Astrid. "What the hell is going on?" Cisco pleaded.

"Your friends… They're in trouble," Clark said. "That guy wasn't Lex. We need to go after them."

As they began to strategize, they were met by Lana. "Clark, hi! It's good to see you."

"Hey, Lana… Can you give me a moment?" Clark asked. He, Cisco and Caitlin took off in the direction that they had seen their friends leave in, leaving Lana behind.

The three of them left the party and followed the narrow tunnel to the right where they had seen Astrid and Lex leave. The tunnel forked off into two separate directions. "Now where?" Caitlin asked.

Cisco placed his hand on the wall to the left, willing a vision to come. "It's no use. I can't make one happen."

"I say we go left." Caitlin started in the direction of the tunnel to the left.

"I say we listen to the kid with super hearing," Cisco said.

They turned to Clark who was struggling. "I can't hear anything anymore. It's like… It's like there's a block or something."

"Okay, left it is…" Cisco said. The three of them started down the path of the tunnel to the left. Suddenly Clark collapsed to his feet in pain. He was clutching his head.

"Hey man, are you alright?" Cisco wondered. Clark looked around them. This part of the tunnel was filled with green veined rock.

"Cisco, it's kryptonite!" Caitlin said, taking notice. "I think he's having a reaction."

"Well, we can't just leave Astrid and Barry in the clutches of those demon aliens! You saw what happened last time!" Cisco argued.

They both looked down at Clark. He was growing weaker by the second. They had no choice but to get Clark out of the tunnels immediately.

"You go, Caitlin… I'm going to go after them." Cisco got to his feet and took off down the tunnel as fast as he could.

"Cisco! Cisco, come back!" Caitlin was hit by panic. She was tempted to run after him, but she knew that she needed to get Clark back to his family's farm... and back to safety.


	6. Chapter 6

Astrid awoke chained to a post deep within the cave and saw Barry across from her. She wasn't sure how either of them had gotten there. Barry was unconscious and they both seemed to be bound by power dampening cuffs. Fortunately, nobody else was with them. "Barry!" she whispered loudly. "Barry, you need to wake up!"

Barry groaned. Then his head lolled about but then he opened his eyes. "Astrid, where are we?"

"I'm not sure… we seemed to be deeper in that cave. Where are the others?"

Barry tried to determine what the last thing he could remember was. He remembered searching for her and then everything had gone dark. "Daemonites!" he exclaimed.

"Great! But why are we chained up?"

"I don't know. Shh… Somebody's coming."

Sure, enough they could hear the footsteps of somebody approaching. Astrid looked up at the sharply dressed business man with the bald head. Lex Luthor. But then she remembered something… It wasn't Lex, it was an alien.

"Barry Allen… Astrid Sutherland… The two of you and your friends were responsible for the massacre of many of my species… You started a war."

Astrid felt the desire to argue but Barry shook his head to tell her not to. They both remained silent.

"I have rendered the two of you powerless… We are surrounded by the music of the congregating humans and thick rock… No one will be able to hear you scream."

"What do you want with us?" Astrid demanded to know.

The creature in Lex's body sneered in her direction. "I merely want to take the two of you out of the picture. I do not need a repeat of last time."

"You were the one speaking on the news," Barry said.

"Oh no, that was my host. I have just recently taken over his body. I simply agree with his desire to wipe out all meta-humans… the less there are to save the day, the easier humans will be to enslave."

"Slavery, really?" Astrid scoffed. "We've taken down bigger baddies. What makes you think that you will succeed?"

Lex Luthor sniggered. "Oh, we have been studying your kind. We witnessed your battle in Central City with the Overmaster… This time you will not have that powerful doctor with his cape to protect you."

Astrid looked over at Barry, neither of them had a plan of how to break free.

Cisco trailed the cave looking for any sign of Astrid and Barry. They were simply gone, and he was alone. He had clearly taken a wrong turn at some point because he found himself in a small room where there was some large metallic object hidden away.

He ran his hands along the smooth black surface until they fell onto what looked like a smashed window. It was a pod. "Dude, where's ET?" he mumbled.

He pushed open the glass and examined the control panel in his full glory. Remembering his time on the Overmaster's ship he decided to find out if he could get this pod to work. It might just be of use.

Outside the cave, Caitlin checked over Clark's wellbeing.

"Caitlin, I'm okay… it must have just been that stone like you said." But Clark still seemed very fatigued.

"We can't risk you getting hurt, Clark… We're going to have to find a way to save them without risking your health."

"But that man wasn't Lex… He has your friends… Cisco will be no match for him and we need to get everybody out of the cave before he does something stupid."

"Clark, I'm sorry. I'm going to call your mother to come and get you. The kryptonite could kill you! We are not going to risk your heath to save my friends. We will find another way."

Caitlin pulled out her phone and started to call Martha. Before Martha could answer Caitlin looked up to see that Clark had disappeared.

She quickly ended the call and stared into the cave where she was sure that Clark had just left. "Clark?" she called out. "Clark!"

But he did not respond.

"Caitlin? DR Caitlin Snow?" the voice of a woman approaching her from in the distance forced her to turn to see just who was calling.

Caitlin immediately recognized the voice, but the woman was wearing a scarf over her head and a pair of sunglasses. "Pamela?" Caitlin asked softly.

The woman approached her and lowered her sunglasses. "I understand that you have been searching for me. So much has changed… Can we go somewhere to speak in private? There is a whole lot at stake here."

Caitlin weighed up her options. She needed to help her friends. "Pamela… I can't… my friends…"

But Pamela brought her finger to her lips. "Please, do not use my name… I might have a way to help them. But I need your help." The desperation on the woman's face was urgent. Caitlin had no choice but to accompany her.


	7. Chapter 7

Cisco's eyes lit up in delight as he listened to the low rumble coming from the pod. He was far too big to climb in, and to get it to move he would need to input a date sequence that he could not quite understand. Nonetheless, he had succeeded in repairing the pod and switching it on. He had made progress.

"Cisco, there you are!" Clark's concerned voice broke in over the roaring of the engine. Clark joined him and stared down at the pod. He was instantly silenced and by the look on his face, Cisco could tell that he recognized the machine on a personal level.

Clark placed his hand down on the machine. "I know this…" he mumbled to himself. "I think… I think that this belongs to me… Don't ask me how I know. I can just feel it."

"Great," Cisco pointed down at the computer system inside the pod. "Maybe you can work out what that language is."

Clark looked down at it and shook his head. "I can't be sure. I don't remember."

"Maybe I can help you." Cisco placed his hand on the pod and willed a vision to come. At first there was nothing. But then it was as if a movie was playing out in his head. He saw a panic-stricken mother and father forced to place their baby in that exact pod. The baby was wrapped in a red blanket. The same red blanket that Cisco had seen earlier. The father typed in a code and pressed his hand onto the screen leaving his handprint. The pod set off far from the planet and traveled into outer space. The home planet exploded shortly after along with all those that remained. As time went passed, the pod traveled to earth and in it, the baby slept in a cryogenic state. The pod eventually travelled to earth and crashed in that exact location in the cave. Scientists scoured the cave searching for the pod, but it had remained untouched until now.

Then, just as the vision had appeared, it disappeared yet again. Cisco smiled over at Clark. "Well, I don't think we can use it as a weapon… But at least it works. How are you feeling anyway… You still look fatigued. Where's Caitlin?"

"I kind of left her outside the cave. She wanted to call my mom. But I want to help. Please, let me help."

Cisco looked around them. There didn't seem to be a trace of the Kryptonite around, but he really didn't want to risk the kid getting hurt by searching for Barry and Astrid. Nonetheless, Clark seemed much too stubborn to not help.

Cisco stared down at the pod and then back up at Clark. He had an idea that would benefit them both. "Okay Clark… How fast can you get all those kids out of this cave and to safety?"

Clark grinned. "You can always time me." But before Clark could leave, Cisco asked him to wait.

"Oh, before you go… I found this… I think it's a blanket or something!" He handed him the red blanket that he had found stashed in the pod while he had been trying to repair it. It was the same blanket that he had seen in his vision.

Clark eyed the red fabric and flicked off some of the dust. "It looks like some sort of cape."

Cisco shrugged. "Whatever it is… I might have an idea for it later… Provided you can help me get my friends back!"

Clark gave Cisco one last nod and left quickly to carry out his part of Cisco's plan. He would remove everybody out of the cave before they even had the chance to figure out just what was going on.

Cisco laughed to himself. "Barry is going to be so jealous of that one." He waited by the pod, examining the computer system. He remembered the data sequence from the vision. He could do that part himself, but theoretically speaking, he would need Clark's handprint to set it in motion.

Astrid grimaced at the pain in her gut. She was bleeding out and feeling very weak. Both she and Barry had been tortured relentlessly. Lex Luthor currently had a blade driven into Barry's stomach and continued to interrogate him. Unfortunately, neither of them was healing as the power dampening cuffs were their vulnerability. But Barry would not speak.

"Leave him alone!" Astrid groaned. "Please, just leave him alone! I'll do it… I'll help you!"

"Astrid, no you can't!" Barry groaned.

"Good girl," Lex said as he turned and approached her. "But, you need to understand that I will need you to prove your loyalty. You will kill your friend here and then you will tell me what you know about the Kryptonian. I know that you know."

Astrid gasped. She looked over at Barry and then back at the alien who had a hold of Lex. There were tears in her eyes and she couldn't wipe them away. "But… But he will be of use to you… I can't kill him. He will be an asset!"

For a moment, Astrid knew that he was contemplating her words. Finally, he agreed. "So tell me where the Kryptonian is."

Astrid looked over at Barry, and then back at the Lex Luthor imposter and said "even if we were to tell you… You will still lose! There are many of us who will fight you! You will only fail again! Many are mighty! Remember that!"

In an act of aggression, the daemonite drove the blade into her stomach swiftly making her gasp.

"Leave her alone!" Barry yelled. "The Kryptonian is…"

"Barry, No!" Astrid groaned. "D-don't tell him!"

"I have had it with your childish games!" the daemonite said as he inched the blade upward in Astrid's stomach forcing her to gurgle. "B-Barry…" she murmured.

"Astrid, No!" Barry cried in an uncontrollable fit. "Take me! Kill me! Don't hurt her please! Stop!"

Astrid could feel the taste of metal in her mouth and the warm liquid of blood rose up in her throat. This had been the same cave that she had lost her father in. It seemed fitting that this would be where she would die. She wondered where DR Fate was. Maybe he had been forced to keep out of this one.

She looked over at Barry and sent him a comforting smile. "B-Barry… T-Tell Cisco…"

"No, Astrid! Astrid! No! No! Get away from her!"

"Barry… I'm sorry." she murmured. She felt the blade hit an artery and the warmth ooze that sprung forth from her stomach told her that she didn't have enough time or strength to say everything she wanted to say. The power dampening cuffs ensured that she couldn't communicate telepathically either.

Her eyes started to close. The final noises she heard were Barry's screams as she bled out slowly.


	8. Chapter 8

Barry watched in shock as Astrid's head lolled about. The monster pulled the blade away from her stomach and turned to face him. Barry couldn't speak. He couldn't blink. He could barely breathe.

He tried to tell himself that she was just faking being dead. Just like that time in Gotham City. He was lying to himself because it felt better than knowing the truth. That his best friend had once again risked her life for him. She had stopped this monster in the act by distracting him from Barry and angering him so much.

"Astrid…" Barry murmured.

Lex, or whoever it was, brought his finger to her pulse at her neck and sighed. "She's gone. I'm sorry… Actually, no, I'm not sorry… Because maybe now you will tell me who the Kryptonian is."

Barry scoffed. Astrid had been willing to die to protect that secret. From out of nowhere Barry mustered up the courage to speak to his foe. "No, I will not tell you. You will have to kill me first… Because what she said was right! You will not succeed in bringing us down. We have friends. We have a team… and we will continue to recruit more. It will be a league of heroes. Men and women with powers, skills and the technology that will make you wish that you never messed with us. Because what you have done here… You have started a war… Your actions will anger so many… you will be exposed… You will be hunted… and you will beg us to grant you with mercy."

There was a moment where Barry saw it. It was brief, but it was there. A moment where the being inside of Lex feared Barry.

The man brought up the blade, the same one in which he had used on Astrid and he charged for Barry. But Barry did not look away. Before the blade could connect with him there was a loud crash and the loud rumble of an engine which crippled down the wall from the other side.

This distraction was enough of a chance to distract Lex to turn away. As he did, something flew past Barry and uncuffed him from the post. He fell to the ground and watched as a blast sent Lex flying backward. Cisco had been the one responsible for the projectile blast. "Was that a bird? No? Was it a plane? No! It was alien pod coming crashing through the walls of this cave!" he exclaimed delightedly as he continued to fight the daemonite.

By his sheer humor alone, Barry knew that he had not yet seen Astrid's body. Barry also knew that Clark was tending to her, which would give Barry enough time to take out his vengeance on the alien.

His powers had returned so he ran to the other side of the cave where Cisco was in combat with the being. Cisco was simultaneously breaching and blasting, but he still wasn't breaching fast enough to match the alien.

Barry considered the state that Astrid was currently in. He let that fuel him as he stampeded for daemonite. He was fast enough, and he caught him. Barry's rage sent him into a punching frenzy. It reminded him of the time that he had been affected by the rainbow raider's rage.

But this rage was purely him. Barry remembered the first moment that he had met Astrid back in that elevator in CCPD. Then he remembered when they had been in that same elevator and had been affected by the meteor together. He remembered her convincing them to work together to save Central City. He remembered that moment that she had saved him in the alternate world when Clark Kent had been willing to kill him. He remembered saving her from the car crash when she was a child.

Every memory that he had of his best friend continued to fuel his anger. "You killed her! You killed her!" he spat bitterly through each punch.

"Barry… Barry… Calm down… I think he's had enough. Let's just cuff him. Barry!" he could hear Cisco's voice and he realized that Cisco still had no clue that Astrid was dead.

Barry looked down at his opponent and then up at Cisco in realization at what he had been willing to do. "Cisco…" Barry murmured. "Astrid is… She's…"

Cisco's expression went from confusion to entirely absent of emotion. He looked over at Clark who was holding Astrid. They both seemed very weak at that point.

"Barry…" he said softly. "we need to get them both out of here… The kryptonite… it's… it's…" but he couldn't finish his sentence.

This pause in action gave Barry enough time to gather his composure. He needed to take charge of the situation. It was what Astrid would expect of him. He dragged the daemonite as fast as he could to STAR Labs and locked him in the pipeline until he could determine what to do later.

Then he returned. Next, he took Clark out of the cave and then returned for both Cisco and Astrid.

The longer Clark was out of the cave, the quicker he healed. But Astrid continued to lay lifeless on the floor. Cisco sat beside her moving her hair from her face.

"Where's Caitlin?" Barry asked.

Before Clark or Cisco could respond, Caitlin cried "I'm here!" she was accompanied by another woman. Noticing Astrid's unconscious and bloodstained body, she instantly attempted to her wellbeing. Caitlin's friend collected some nearby leaves and poured a small vial of something over them. "Here use this for her wounds." She told Caitlin.

Caitlin furiously did her best to bandage Astrid's wounds and delivered CPR.

Both Barry and Cisco could barely hear what was going on.

"Is there anything I can do?" Clark asked.

"Call an ambulance!" Caitlin cried. So Clark did as she instructed.

"You guys… she's just faking." Cisco said. "She's doing that jedi thing. She wants us to think she's dead." Barry knew that his friend was just trying to emotionally protect himself from the truth. He had tried to do the same thing.

"You guys…" Caitlin said. Her face was teary and exhausted.

"No! I'm getting her to a hospital!" Barry acted on impulse, taking Astrid to the medical bar in STAR Labs where the staff instantly rushed to her aid. Upon discovering the state of her body, they gave him a look. One that he knew all too well.

By the time he returned, Cisco was doing his best to remain calm. "Take me to her, Barry… You guys, I'm not fretting… she's going to be fine… We already met our son, remember? So, let's all stay calm and not freak out…"

"Er… Cisco?" Barry said.

"I'm fine!" he said begrudgingly. "hey, Clark… what happened there? You look a little weary."

Clark looked over at Barry and Caitlin and then back at Cisco. "I think that the blade that he used was lined with some of that stone. That kryptonite. I accidently got some of her blood on my hands… I still feel a little…" Before he could finish his sentence, he collapsed to his feet.

"Let's get him to STAR Labs now!" Barry declared. He retrieved Clark and ran back to Central City, while Cisco breached Caitlin, her friend and him back to meet him there.


	9. Chapter 9

As Caitlin tended to Clark's wellbeing, which fortunately after washing Astrid's blood from his skin rejuvenated quickly, Barry and DR Wells spoke with Cisco. He was sitting by Astrid's bedside in a state of shock and denying that she was in fact dead.

"You guys… We've already been through this, Astrid is fine. It's just another coma. Do you think she will wake up with amnesia again? Anyway, what I would like to know is who that girl that Caitlin brought back with her."

Barry looked over at DR Wells and then back at Cisco. He had no idea how to get through to his friend. But Cisco did pose a good question. Who was that mysterious red head that Caitlin had brought back with them.

He decided to go and find out. "Hi, I'm Barry… and you have just been privy to all of our secrets…"

Pamela put out her hand. "I'm Pamela… I'm a friend of DR Snow's. You see, she promised to help me with my own gifts… But I guess that right now you all have a lot on your hands."

"So, what's your power?"

Pamela approached a large dead pot plant that Astrid had never gotten around to removing. She placed her hand on it and in seconds the flower was brought back to full bloom.

"Wow, that's pretty cool." Barry was doing everything in his power to not focus on the real matter at hand. The daemonite had been captured and locked in the pipeline. They had reached out to Clark Kent… and they had lost Astrid in the process.

He thought back to her last words. Something about forming a league. They certainly had the allies. Batman… This Kryptonian Superman… he figured that Cisco would enjoy thinking up a nickname and a costume later. The had the green arrow. Barry was the Flash. They could do it.

The could become a league that brought justice to all. They could become the justice league.

Barry would see to it that Astrid's last words were seen to. He would not let her down.

The sound of glass smashing alerted Barry to Cisco's sudden burst of anger forced him to turn. Cisco had sent a vibrational blast across the cortex and he was now in a fit of his own fury.

Barry ran to his aid, as did DR Wells. "Hey man, you need to relax." Barry said holding on to him.

"Maybe we should lock him in the pipeline, so he isn't a threat!" DR Wells suggested.

"Maybe we should lock you down in the pipeline!" Cisco demanded of DR Wells. As he spoke he set off another particle beam of energy which knocked both DR Wells and Barry backward. The beam of energy rendered Barry powerless to use his speed.

But Cisco's temper could not be calmed. He let off another projectile and it shot just past Clark.

In an instant the plant that Pamela had nurtured sprung forth leaves which spread across the cortex wildly like a jungle. The plants forced shelves to topple over and crash, but they eventually found their way around Cisco's body restraining him.

"What the hell?" Cisco demanded. He was held in his spot unable to move.

Barry stepped over the plants, surprised by Pamela's abilities and over to his friend. "Cisco, I understand how you feel right now. But we need to stick together. Astrid's last words were that she wanted us to work together to protect humanity. We can't let them be in vain. You know that…"

Cisco would not look Barry in the eye. Instead, he looked over at Caitlin and their new protégé, Clark. He had heard Barry's words clearly. But Barry was the last person that he needed to speak to at that moment. Especially because Barry was the last person to see her alive.

"Caitlin," Cisco said. "How do we carry on without her?"

Caitlin had clearly been thinking the same thing. She shook her head and looked over at Barry. Doubt was written across her face, but she was doing her best to muster up her courage.

She thought back to every moment that she had spent with Astrid, but her empathy was for Cisco. "We do what Barry is saying, Cisco. We can do it. It's what she would want."

Cisco felt the plants around his body subside. He stared at the ground and brought his hands to his back where he subtly formed a breach. He needed to be anywhere but there.

Astrid had only ever survived on his earth and because of that he was thankful. But for the first time he felt lost. He knew that Astrid didn't exist on any other timeline. But just maybe he could change that… Just maybe…

He fell back into his breach and he sealed it before any of his friends could go after him, knowing that they had no idea of his destination.


	10. Chapter 10

Barry ran into the cortex dressed in his red suit and charged for the computer system where he found Caitlin at the commlink.

He kissed her on the cheek and asked: "how are our newest recruits handling their training?"

"Clark is showing Kara the ropes and Wally… Well, he seems to have a real crush on Oliver's sister."

Barry chuckled to himself. He made himself maintain his composure when he heard Oliver's voice speak up from the commlink. "Barry – you keep your brother away from my sister… Do you hear me?"

"Sorry, Oliver… yeah, I forgot he could hear us…"

"Can still hear you, Barry."

Barry smiled down at Caitlin who mouthed the words "oops" to his mistake.

She attempted to get to her feet as Barry fussed over her. "Whoa… what are you doing? You need to be careful."

Caitlin smiled down at her large round her stomach. She could deliver any day now. "I'm fine, Barry. He's a kicker…"

"He could still be a speedster." Barry's tone wavered as he looked over at Astrid's empty office door and Cisco's empty work station. "Sometimes, I just wish…"

Caitlin offered him a sad smile. "Yeah… I know. But if Cisco wanted to be found…"

"I know, we'd be able to find him by now… Look, what's our next case?"

Caitlin looked over at the computer where an alert came up. "Batman looks in over his head…"

"I'm on it!"

Barry ran to deal with his emergency as Caitlin sent another sad look at an old photo of the she, Barry, DR Wells, Astrid and Cisco.

The slam of a door made her startle. It was DR Wells.

"Any luck, world walker?" she asked him.

Harry stepped toward her, his mind was clearly elsewhere. "I heard a rumor through the council of Wells…"

"A rumor, Harry?"

Whatever this rumor was certainly had the man's full attention. He stared at her. For the first time in a while there was a childlike optimism written across his face.

"Two people… man and a woman with extraordinary telepathic and breaching abilities… Strategically doing their best to stay away from the radar entirely…"

Caitlin let slip a smile that mirrored that of DR Wells.

There was a buzz of whirling energy which forced them both to turn around. In the center of the cortex was a large swirling glow of energy. A breach… Someone was coming.


End file.
